Central defender Dara O’Shea says he’s “fully committed to Ipswich at the moment” and wants to get the Blues back into the Premier League, the Republic of Ireland international having been linked with Wolves, Leeds United and a return to Burnley this summer.

The 26-year-old was one of Town’s top performers during 2024/25, picking up a Player of the Year award at the End-of-Season Dinner and finishing third for the supporters’ gong.

The Dubliner, who captained the Blues when Sam Morsy wasn’t in the XI, joined the club from the Clarets last summer following their relegation for an initial £12 million plus potentially a further £3 million in add-ons.

O’Shea is currently away with the Ireland squad, along with teammate Jack Taylor, and was asked about the reported interest from the Premier League trio.

“No, look, for me right now I’m still in season you know and I’m not going to think about it until the season ends and I’ve got one more game to focus on and then I can sit down and relax, but I’m fully committed to Ipswich at the moment.

“I want to get the club back into the Premier League and I’m ambitious as a player, obviously I want to be playing in the Premier League but I know it’s not as easy as that.

“Whatever happens in football it happens for a reason. You have a journey and you’ve got to stick to that sometimes.”

He added: “I feel like I’m well capable of playing in the Premier League and I’ve got to get myself back there now.

“I spoke to the gaffer at Ipswich and that’s the task he's set me - to carry on those standards of a Premier League player and still owe it to myself to be like that.

“It’s really hard when you come off the back of relegation but I’m happy with how I played. I’ve grown into a leader and I play better when I have that responsibility.”

Ireland face Luxembourg away from home in a friendly on Tuesday having drawn 1-1 with Senegal on Friday in Dublin.

“We understand the way the manager [Heimir Hallgrímsson] wants us to play and how he wants us to be as a nation,” he added. “That's the identity of us as Irish people too.

“Against Senegal, our reaction in the middle of the park, we lost the ball, we got around it. There were some big tackles, some big blocks. That’s something that we've kind of come away from as a nation, which we should never - that's our identity, we're hard working people.

“With every successful team, the fundamental is hard work. You watch PSG in the Champions League final, they’ve got all the talent in the world but they worked hard as well and that's what got them there. We’ve that embedded in us as Irish people, so we’ve got to show that on the pitch and not take the moments for granted.

“There’s obviously a mentality aspect of football and winning games and keeping that momentum going is massive. It’s something we haven't really had as a nation for a while now. It's something this group hasn't had at all really.

“So it’s important that we keep building and don’t take the games for granted because before we know it we’ll be in the World Cup campaign and right in the thick of it.

“You only get one chance to qualify, so it’s important that we make the most of every moment we can. The manager believes in us as a group and he believes in himself. That’s massive when you can feel the manager believes in you as a group.”

Photo: REUTERS/Chris Radburn

farmerblue added 11:46 - Jun 9 New First team captain - Morsy Club Captain.
6

OxtonBlue added 11:47 - Jun 9 Let's hope that " the moment" in that statement isn't doing too much heavy lifting!
17

MickMillsTash added 11:50 - Jun 9 Centre back , Right back, quick, good in the air, our best defender last year and I can't remember many mistakes. I think we will do well to keep him.
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DJR added 11:51 - Jun 9 "fully" committed to Town "at the moment" seems to me a bit of an oxymoron.
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Stato added 11:52 - Jun 9 so I'm fully committed for one more week. I'm not gonna lose any sleep if he goes because he is not prem league quality but if he does goes I just hope its not below 20m with add on and sells ons on top of that. Him and Greaves should shine in the championship so please only let him go if we make a quick buck on him
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MattinLondon added 11:57 - Jun 9 Perfectly sensible things for him to say in that interview. Being honest, if a PL team were to come in for him, and offer ITFC good money, the chances are that he’ll be off. But until then (if it happens at all) he comes across as a good professional who will simply get on with it.
1

ArnieM added 11:57 - Jun 9 ..."at the moment" Right, guess that's cheerio like the rest then.
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cressi added 12:01 - Jun 9 That answer hardly inspires confidence he won't jump ship.
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Rimsy added 12:05 - Jun 9 Sounds like he'll be on his way as soon as a pl bid comes in. At least we won't now be fleeced, he'll go for his true worth. Shame as he's the obvious Captain once Morsy goes and could become a true Ipswich legend.
4

DavoIPB added 12:09 - Jun 9 At the moment
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ArnieM added 12:10 - Jun 9 ..and Stati. He's country miles more a premier league player than Woolfenden, so will a huge loss when he leaves, which is looking exactly like what he'll do.
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ArnieM added 12:11 - Jun 9 Sorry that should have been "Stato"..thick fingers syndrome on a smart phone! :)
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Cheshire_Blue added 12:13 - Jun 9 After such a poor show in the Premier League last season with only four wins there must be some who are not Premier League standard. Would be nice to hear them admit to it. Football is a team game and it was a collective failure
6

itfctilidie added 12:14 - Jun 9 Stati-"he's not a premier league player. If he does go I hope it's not for less than 20m with add ons" Wow, where do we get some of these fans from
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blues1 added 12:17 - Jun 9 All these hes gonna leave then comments are pathetic. Only people on he could concentrate on theatre thd moment" part of what he said, and totally ignored the part where he's said he " wants to get us back into tbe pl".
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Bazza8564 added 12:35 - Jun 9 The whole point in us buying young players last summer was to build for the future. None of that crop have fully developed into their optimum potential. Delap came through strongest but it will be 12-24 months before they start to get anywhere near their peak. At that point, hopefully we will be in the PL again and will have added further talent. Dara is contracted to us long term so unless someone triggers a release clause (if he has one), probably £25m, any decision to sell will be ours. We don't need to sell, all our expenditure for last years signings was covered by Sky money and we know the Investors are paying for infrastructure such as Playford Road and Portman Road. Why does everybody wet themselves and get a panic attack every time someone is linked with someone else? We know it's silly season in the papers, just wish some people would get a grip. And yes, he will be captain next season, I totally agree with that

6

bluebullet29l added 12:42 - Jun 9 The key statement i take from that is 'at the moment ' .....until a better offer comes along.....
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Carberry added 12:57 - Jun 9 That's a definite maybe then.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 13:19 - Jun 9 Can only agree with most on here that "at the moment" does not inspire confidence.
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DavoIPB added 13:35 - Jun 9 Baza, think we brought young payers so we could improve them and then make money from selling them, it's not about building a team with them. Ashton did it at Bristol but it meant the club did not really go anywhere in terms of league other than becoming a regular championship team.
1

SickParrot added 14:00 - Jun 9 He only left Burnley for us to stay in the Premier League, so I can't see him staying if Premier League teams want him. That would be a shame because he's our best centre back and it will be difficult to sign an adequate replacement.
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Saxonblue74 added 14:01 - Jun 9 These interviews are a waste of time. What do people expect him to say?
3

billlm added 14:06 - Jun 9 Meens very little that, one we need to stay per a lot of reasons above,
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Ipswichbusiness added 14:08 - Jun 9 Of course he wants to play in the PL; who wouldn’t? At the age of 26 he is coming into the best years of his career so it is perfectly understandable if he should want to spend them in the PL rather than the Championship. If he wants to go then sell for the best price possible and buy a replacement.
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tractorboybig added 14:18 - Jun 9 anyone half reasonable will be gone, we will be left with the left overs
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